Posts Tagged ‘Idaho’

A “California Stop” occurs when a driver or cyclist slows down for a stop sign, but does not come to a full stop at any particular instant. This certainly is an aspect of traffic culture in San Francisco and it’s one that’s tolerated by the SFPD. For example, motorcycle-riding cops will sometimes lie in wait on Pierce as car after car commits a California Stop coming down Alamo Heights on Fulton. Maybe ten people go through without incident but then somebody rolls through at 7 MPH and the driver gets pulled over. Just watch the police themselves cruising around in cars and on bikes to see how fast they go past the red octagon, depending on traffic, visibility, time of day, etc. California Stops aren’t tolerated as much in other places, such as the small towns of Marin County. And, oh yes, this approach is also known as an “Oklahoma Stop” in other parts of the country.

OTOH, an “Idaho Stop” occurs when a cyclist doesn’t slow down at all for a stop sign.

Thusly, near Twin Peaks:

Look for Idaho Stops in the Lower Haight area, where many fixed gear riders maintain the same pace whether cycling past stop signs or not.

Some people in San Francisco want Idaho Stops to be legal in San Francisco.

And here’s the Strava.Com segment what used to be called the Castro Street Bomb (and then the Castro Street Descent). It’s not too exciting. Rather sedate, actually. But I’m sure if you’re hauling butt to become the latest Strava.Com “KOM” (King of the Mountain) and you may or may not be “Idaho Rolling” through red lights, then it could be very exciting / addicting:

What if I started a Market Street Drag Race website for car drivers? They could make a segment like “Second Street to Sixth Street Drag” or something and people could keep track of their times using the GPS. Would you say that I was encouraging recklessness? Or not?

Sad thing is, even as this story makes it’s way around the cycling community, there are people that pull the same **** — running reds/stop signs/etc. from SF down to SCruz — that won’t connect this situation with possibilities around their own actions.”

And I’d link you to what they’re saying at the SF Fixed.Com boards but I don’t know how to do that. (It’s a bit contentious over there these days, I understand.)

“I have come straight from a meeting of the Government’s Cobra committee where we’ve been discussing the action that we will be taking to help the police deal with the disorder in the streets of London and elsewhere in our country. I’ve also met with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and the Home Secretary to discuss this further and people should be in no doubt that we will do everything necessary to restore order to Britain’s streets and to make them safe for the law-abiding.

Let me first of all completely condemn the scenes that we have seen on our television screens and people have witnessed in their communities. These are sickening scenes, scenes of people looting, vandalising, thieving, robbing, scenes of people attacking police officers and even attacking fire crews as they’re trying to put out fires. This is criminality, pure and simple and it has to be confronted and defeated. I feel huge sympathy for the families that have suffered, innocent people who have been burned out of their houses and to business who’ve seen their premises smashed, their products looted and their livelihoods potentially ruined. I also feel for all those who live in fear because of those appalling scenes that we’ve seen on the streets of our country. People should be in no doubt that we are on the side of the law-abiding. Law-abiding people who are appalled at what has happened in their own communities.

As ever, police officers have shown incredible bravery on our streets in confronting these thugs, but it’s quite clear that we need more, much more police on our streets and we need even more robust police action and it’s that that I’ve been discussing in COBRA this morning. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner has said that compared with the 6,000 police on the streets last night in London there will be some 16000 officers tonight. All leave within the Metropolitan Police has been cancelled. There will be aid coming from police forces up and down and the country and we will do everything necessary to strengthen and assist these forces that are meeting this disorder. There has already been 450 people arrested. We will make sure that court procedures and processes are speeded up and people should expect to see more, many more, arrests in the days to come. I am determined, the Government is determined that justice will be done and these people will see the consequences of their actions.

And I have this very clear message to those people that are responsible for this wrongdoing and criminality. You will feel the full force of the law. And if you are old enough to commit these crimes, you are old enough to face the punishments. And to these people I would say this. You are not only wrecking the lives of others. You are not only wrecking your own communities, you are potentially wrecking your own life too.

My office this morning has spoken to the Speaker of the House of Commons and he has agreed that Parliament will be recalled for a day on Thursday so I can make a statement to parliament and we can hold a debate and we are all able to stand together in condemnation of these crimes and we are able to stand together in determination to rebuild these communities. Now, if you will excuse me, there is important work to be done..”

“The British Consulate-General, San Francisco, is the United Kingdom’s diplomatic mission responsible for the Pacific Northwest (Northern California, Oregon, Washington State, Alaska, Montana, Idaho and Northern Nevada). The Consulate conducts all the political and economic reporting for the region, is responsible for economic trade and development, furthers science and educational opportunities and provides assistance to visiting British nationals.”

Los Angeles-Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced that his office has secured an agreement with Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Inc., the manufacturer of American Spirit tobacco products, that requires the company to clearly disclose that its organic tobacco is “no safer or healthier” than other tobacco products.

Attorneys general from 32 other states and the District of Columbia signed onto today’s agreement.

“Stamping an organic label on tobacco products is ultimately a distinction without a difference-organic or not, cigarettes are bad for your health,” Brown said. “Today’s settlement with Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company ensures that all future advertisements make it clear that organic tobacco is no safer or healthier.”